Featured Story

Greenport reaches the finals in nationwide garden grant competition

Greenport Garden 2

The Greenport School District is one of 50 finalists in the Seeds of Change competition and now has a nearly 50 percent chance of winning grant money to create a new school garden.

Earlier this month, the district asked community members to vote for the school during the contest in hopes of winning either a $10,000 or $20,000 grant to construct a new, larger garden.

As one of the top 50 finalists, Greenport has the opportunity to be chosen by Seeds of Change as one of the 12 school winners of the grant. Of these winners, two school gardens and two community gardens will be awarded $20,000 each. The remaining ten school and community gardens will each get $10,000 each.

Twenty five school gardens from across the country have advanced to the top 50 entries.

The organization is looking to award the money to groups who plan on helping support sustainable, community-based gardening programs designed on teaching people about the food they’re growing and eating, a statement read.

Superintendent David Gamberg has stated the garden will be used to “promote healthy eating in an effort to give our students a better opportunity to learn and thrive both in and outside of school” and would be accompanied by a summer camp program. There are also plans to create informational brochures, mailings, how-to videos and cooking classes.

Seeds of Change was founded in 1989 by a group of gardens looking to make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers while preserving heirloom seed varieties that were in danger of being lost due to modern agricultural advances and continues to carry out this goal

The organization will announce the winners May 3.

[email protected]

Photo: Greenport students at the district’s school garden. (Credit: Courtesy)